14 02 13 South African Government (Pretoria) : Media Statement By the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ebrahim Ebrahim On International Relations Matters

1. Extraordinary SADC Summit

 

The Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of
Southern African Development Community (SADC) took place in Maputo,
Republic of Mozambique, on 8 February 2013.

 

The summit was chaired by H.E. Armando Emilio Guebuza, the President of
the Republic of Mozambique and the Chairperson of the
SADC.

 

The summit considered the political and security situation in the
region, in particular the latest developments in the Democratic Republic of
Congo.

 

The Summit
commended:

 

(i) the Republic of Angola, Republic of Malawi, Republic of South
Africa, Republic of Namibia, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Zambia,
the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Zimbabwe
for pledging to contribute to the Neutral International Force (NIF); and

(ii) continued collaboration between SADC and the International
Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) on the deployment of NIF in the
eastern DRC.

The Summit
urged the African Union Commission, SADC/ICGLR to urgently engage the United
Nations on the deployment of the NIF in the eastern DRC and reiterated its
decision to expedite the deployment.

 

Furthermore, the Summit
welcomed the UN Secretary General's initiative towards bringing peace and
stability in the eastern part of the DRC and commended the UN Secretary General
for the proposed Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the eastern part
DRC and the Region.

 

2. President Zuma's meeting with President Guebuza

 

The President of the Republic
of South Africa, His Excellency Mr
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, hosted His Excellency Mr. Armando Guebuza, President
of the Republic of Mozambique, in Pretoria
on 12 February 2013.

 

During the meeting, President Guebuza briefed President Zuma about the
floods that have devastated parts of Mozambique. Furthermore, President
Guebuza expressed his gratitude for South Africa's rescue operation and
humanitarian assistance during the floods by availing two helicopters and two
fixed wings aircraft.

 

President Zuma expressed South Africa's
solidarity with President Guebuza and the people of Mozambique during these challenging
times. Furthermore, President Zuma reiterated his confidence that the affected
families and the entire population of Mozambique will unify in responding
to these floods, as they have done previously.

 

3. Humanitarian assistance to Mali

 

We are pleased to announce that the first consignment of humanitarian
aid to Mali from the
Government of South Africa arrived in Bamako
this Tuesday, 11 February 2013. The consignment consists of 1 000 tons of
maize, 1 000 tons of sugar and 42 tons of milk powder. The remaining aid is due
to leave South African ports in the next few weeks.

 

South Africa remains concerned about the
security of the invaluable historic manuscripts that document Africa's
contribution to scientific evolution and the reported damage caused to the
Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research in Timbuktu a few weeks ago.

 

4. Fifth BRICS Summit

 

In conclusion, we would like to provide some update on our preparations
for the 5th BRICS Summit.

 

The Summit, which is scheduled for 26 to
27 March 2013 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, is fast approaching with a number of high-level
events taking place as part of the run-up to the Summit.

 

Just yesterday, Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane hosted her counterpart,
Minister Sergey Lavrov of the Russian
Federation. During the Official Visit, the
two Ministers discussed, amongst other things, preparations for the upcoming
5thBRICS Summit
and the State Visit by President Vladimir Putin, which is scheduled for 28
March 2013.

 

On 19 February 2013, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane will receive her
counterpart, Mr Yang Jiechi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's
Republic of China in Cape Town. It is expected
that the upcoming BRICS Summit will be high on the agenda of the bilateral
consultations.

 

This Friday, 15 February 2013, the BRICS Deputies (Directors-General
level) will meet in Moscow
to discuss the draft report of the BRICS Joint Working Group on the idea of a
New Development Bank.